AZUSA, Calif. – It took almost the entire night, but the Cougars finally broke through for a 2-0 win over Chaminade Saturday evening at a rain-soaked Cougar Soccer Complex.
How It Happened: The contest was mostly played during a soft but steady downpour, with the Cougars having most of the opportunities early, outshooting the Silverswords 13-1 in the first half, including four shots on goal and three corner kicks in the first 20 minutes. But the breakthrough on the scoreboard was proving elusive.
As the weather wrought havoc on both the teams and the scorer's table in the second half, the Cougars continued to press forward, leaving themselves open to counter attacking opportunities on the back end. Chaminade would end up with five shots and a pair of corner kicks in the second half themselves, but four of them were either blocked or sailed wide while Leo Moreno made one save in the 87th minute.
The game appeared to be destined for a scoreless draw when the Cougars made a late push forward in the 90th. With 30 seconds to play, Luis Solis found a passing lane into the right corner of the six-yard box, where Gregoire Diep ran onto it and tucked his crossing shot just under the crossbar to finally break the deadlock. It was the senior's team-leading fifth goal of the season. With just 23 seconds to play, Chaminade pushed everybody forward, and when Joseph Macpherson cleared the ball back into the offensive half, Jessie Echeverria was able to run onto it and chip the keeper from about 30 yards out to provide the final margin.
By the Numbers: The Cougars outshot Chaminade for the game by a margin of 21-6, including 10 shots on goal. Moreno only had to make a single save, but it was good enough to earn his third clean sheet of the season. Three of Diep's five goals this season have been game-winners. Echeverria's goal was his first since 2019 against Hawai'i Pacific. Azusa Pacific remains undefeated against the Silverswords with an all-time record of 8-0-2, during which the Cougars have outscored Chaminade 31-7.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific (4-7-3, 2-2-2 PacWest) continue their four-game homestand against Hawai'i Pacific on Wednesday. The match can be live streamed HERE.
